The much-awaited flagship Asus Zenfone 2 has finally arrived in India. Yesterday, Asus launched the latest ZenFone 2 with 4GB RAM in the Indian market. The smartphone was first showcased at CES this year. The device will be available in India exclusively on Flipkart.
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Hardware
The Asus Zenfone 2 features a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with a 1080p resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 403 PPI. It is powered by Intel’s quad-core 2.3GHz Atom Z3580 processor, with PowerVR G6430 graphics chip, coupled with 4GB of RAM. The other versions of the device that come with 2 GB of RAM and feature the 1.8 GHz Intel Atom Z3560 processor.
It is a dual-sim smartphone supports 2G, 3G and 4G on the first sim, while only 2G networks are supported on the second sim. It also has other standard connectivity features, like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 and NFC. The Zenfone range has seen a major jump in the battery capacity, from the 2,110mAh juice-pack of Zenfone 5 to the 3,000mAh powerhouse in Zenfone 2.
ZenFone 2 is equipped with SonicMaster technology for better sound quality. Compared to its predecessor, ZenFone 2 has 38% larger audio chambers and improved speakers with better diafragmas and stronger voice coils, resulting in 4X more powerful sound output, 4X deeper bass (increased by 14dB), and 2X higher pitch.
Camera
The Asus Zenfone 2 comes with a 13 MP rear camera, with a dual-tone LED flash, and an aperture of f/2.0. There is a 5-megapixel front-facing fixed-focus camera with a f/2.0 aperture and 85-degree wide-angle lens on board. Like previous generations, this device also features ASUS’ Pixelmaster technology that provides better shots and video in low light conditions. The camera application includes all the usual setting such as white balance, exposure, ISO, and 1080p video capture, and some typical shooting modes are also available, including manual, HDR, and panorama.
Software
The Asus Zenfone 2 comes with Lollipop out of the box. On the top is the Asus Zen UI. Asus has put more than 30 ZenUI apps in the Google Play, so each app can be updated separately without having to wait for a system update.
ASUS Launcher, also available in Google Play features enhancements such as easy customization and ZenMotion, a collection of intuitive touch gestures, each providing a new way of interacting with ZenFone 2, such as double tapping on the screen to wake the device.
Along with ZenMotion is a collection of touch gestures that can be enabled to instantly launch different apps even when the screen is off. For example, when a user swipes the screen as if writing the letter C, the camera app will open. Swiping as if writing a lowercase letter E will open the email app. Other special motion gestures are available for different purposes. For example, by double-tapping on the home key, the user can switch to one-hand mode for easy single-handed operation. The user can also gently shake ZenFone 2 to have the information currently displayed on the screen be added to Do It Later.
SnapView lets users easily secure their data in ZenFone 2. SnapView provides different storage spaces to keep personal files separate from work files. SnapView ensures photos, documents, and other files remain unopened if a user logs in with a different username.
Price and Avaibility
The Asus Zenfone 2 is available now in select regions like China, Taiwan, and Europe. The US availability is still to be announced. Available colors include black, gold, gray, red, and white, with pricing starting at $199 for the base model.
India
In India, ASUS has launched the ZenFone 2 in four variants – ZE551ML (4GB RAM) with 64GB and 32GB inbuilt storage, ZE551ML (2GB RAM). The ZE551ML with 4GB RAM comes in two storage versions. The one with 64GB storage space will cost customers Rs. 22,999, while the 32GB model will cost Rs. 19,999. The ZE551ML (2GB RAM) variant is launched at Rs. 14,999 and the ZE550ML will be available for Rs. 12,999.
Review
We are currently testing the device, will come with the detailed review, within a week. Stay tuned on our Android advices website, Android App and twitter handle @androidadvices for latest updates.
